Len Barker was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1973 at the age of 17. He pitched in the minors exclusively from 1973-1975 and then got a September call-up in 1976 (1-0, 2.40 ERA in 2 starts).
Barker started the 1977 season in the minors, was called up in July, sent back down in August, and then finished the season with the Rangers in September. Len was 4-1 with 1 save and had a 2.66 ERA in 15 games (2 starts).
In 1978 Barker was used as a reliever by the Rangers. He started the season with Texas and then was sent down for about five weeks in May/June. Len then came back to the Rangers and finished hte season with them. Barker was 1-5 with 4 saves and had an ERA of 4.82 in 29 games.
After the 1978 season Len was traded with Bobby Bonds to the Cleveland Indians for Jim Kern and Larvell Blanks. In 1979 Barker was a reliever until June and then went into the Cleveland starting rotation. Len was a starter (except for a few spot relief appearances) for the rest of his career. Barker went 6-6 and had a 4.92 ERA in 29 games (19 starts).
Barker had his best year in 1980. He led the AL with 187 strikeouts and was 19-7 with a 4.17 ERA in 36 starts.
Len made the AL All Star team in 1981 (he pitched two scoreless innings). His stats didn't exactly reflect this All Star status - Len was 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 22 starts and led the AL with 127 strikeouts. On May 15, 1981 Barker pitched a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
A video of the last part of Len's 1981 perfect game is above. For some reason blogger kept putting the video up there instead of down here where I wanted it.
Despite a high (3.90) ERA, Len had a solid year in 1982, going 15-11 in 33 starts.
In 1983 Barker was with Cleveland for the first part of the season (8-13, 5.11 ERA). He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on August 28 for $150,000 and players to be named later. The players were Rick Behenna, Brett Butler, and Brook Jacoby. The Braves wanted Len for the stretch run. Barker started six games for the Braves and was 1-3 with a 3.82 ERA.
After the 1983 season Barker signed a big 5-year, $4.5 million contract with the Braves.
Len started to have arm problems in 1984. He only pitched until late July in 1984 (7-8, 3.85 ERA in 21 games/20 starts) and then had elbow surgery. The 1985 season was Barker's last full season in the majors. He was 2-9 with a 6.35 ERA in 20 games (18 starts) and had a stint on the disabled list.
Barker struggled in spring training in 1986. Len was released at the end of spring training and the Braves ate the rest of his contract. Barker signed with the Montreal Expos. He pitched in the minors in 1986 but he didn't make the club in 198s and was cut at the end of spring training.
Len signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and started 11 games for them in 1987 (2-1, 5.36 ERA).
After his playing career Barker had a construction business. He is now the coach of the Division II Notre Dame College baseball team.
July 12 - Finally won his sixth game after 10 no-decisions in a row. Manager Danny Ozark stayed with Lerch during a tie game in the 8th inning and the Phillies rallied in the 9th to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. Randy went the distance for the win.
Randy Lerch had his rookie season in 1977 after brief trials in 1975 and in 1976. The 22-year-old rookie was the third starter for the NL East Champion Phillies, but he wasn't used in the postseason.
Greg Minton
Debut: September 7, 1975
1977 Stats:
Phoenix Giants (AAA): 14-6, 4 saves, 4.86 ERA in 26 games (20 starts)
Greg Minton was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1970. He pitched in the Royals' system from 1970-1973 before being traded to the San Francisco Giants for Fran Healy.
Minton pitched in the Giants' system for the next few seasons. Greg had short stints with the Giants in 1975 (1-1, 6.88 ERA in 4 games/2 starts), 1976 (0-1, 4.93 ERA in 10 games/2 starts), and in 1977 (1-1, 4.50 ERA in 2 starts).
Greg's career seemed to be topping out in 1978. He went back and forth between AAA Phoenix and the Giants. Greg had a few rough outings in August and September which caused his ERA to balloon. Minton ended up with an 0-1 record and an 8.04 ERA in 11 games.
In 1979 Greg had an injury and decided to alter his pitching motion. The change resulted in a much improved sinkerball and Minton started to find success. From 1979-1981 Minton didn't allow a single home run. Greg teamed with lefty Gary Lavelle to form a great lefty/righty closer combination for the Giants.
1979 - 4-3, 4 saves, 1.81 ERA in 46 games
1980 - 4-6, 19 saves, 2.46 ERA in 68 games
1981 - 4-5, 21 saves, 2.88 ERA in 55 games
1982 - 10-4, 30 saves, 1.83 ERA in 78 games.
Minton made his only All Star team in 1982 (he walked one batter in 2/3 of an inning). He also finished 6th in NL Cy Young Award balloting and 8th in NL MVP voting.
Starting in 1983 Greg wasn't as effective. He started to hear some boos at Candlestick Park from the few people who still attended games.
1983 - 7-11, 22 saves, 3.54 ERA in 73 games
1984 - 4-9, 19 saves, 3.76 ERA in 74 games (1 start)
1985 - 5-4, 4 saves, 3.54 ERA in 68 games
1986 - 4-4, 5 saves, 3.93 ERA in 48 games
Minton started the 1987 season with the Giants (1-0, 1 save, 3.47 ERA in 15 games). The Giants released Greg on May 28. Minton signed with the California Angels and had a few good seasons with them, especially in 1989.
1987 - 5-4, 10 saves, 3.08 ERA in 41 games
1988 - 4-5, 7 saves, 2.85 ERA in 44 games
1989 - 4-3, 8 saves, 2.20 ERA in 62 games
In 1990 Minton had some injuries. He was still an effective pitcher but the injuries limited him to 11 games (1-1, 2.35 ERA). Greg retired after the 1990 season.
Minton was nicknamed "Moon Man." He was known for his practical jokes and his enjoyment of hobbies such as deep sea fishing that weren't typical hobbies for atheletes.
After his playing career Greg did some coaching and then was the General Manager at Extra Innings East Valley, a batting cage and sports instruction center in Arizona.
Mike Overy
Debut: August 14, 1976
1977 Stats:
Salt Lake City Gulls (AAA): 7-5, 8 saves, 4.33 ERA in 39 games (12 starts)
Other card blogs: none
Mike Overy was drafted by the California Angels in 1973. Overy was used almost exclusively as a reliever as he moved up the Angels system from 1973-1976. Mike was called up in early August 1976 to replace the injured Bobby Bonds. Overy appeared in five games for the Angels and was 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA.
That was Mike's only experience in the major leagues. Overy was a fixture for the AAA Salt Lake City Gulls, pitching there from 1976-1980. Mike retired after the 1980 season.
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